A sewage pipe burst is causing a massive pollution problem. The burst has resulted in millions of gallons of waste entering the Potomac River each day, AP reported.
On January 19, a 72-inch sewer pipe collapsed and began flooding sewage out of the ground and into the river. The spill occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland, along the Clara Barton Parkway.
John Lisle, a spokesperson for DC Water, told AP that the spill equals about 40 million gallons a day. That’s enough to fill about 66 Olympic-size swimming pools.
Water Sampling Results
Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN), a nonprofit that works to protect the Potomac River’s water quality, has been conducting water sampling. In a release, the organization reported that data shows the spill’s effects are “far worse impact than originally contemplated.”
PRKN sampled water at Fletchers Cove near Georgetown, which is across the river from Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington.
Betsy Nicholas, PRKN president, said that “These measurements of E.coli bacteria show contamination which is nearly 12,000 times what authorities limit for human contact. And so far, almost 300 million gallons have entered the Potomac River. The long term impact cannot be overstated.”
“Infrastructure failure is at the root of this disaster,” Dean Naujoks of PRKN said. “DC Water needs to come up with a better plan than using a one hundred year old dry canal ditch to capture and contain future sewage releases instead of discharging hundreds of millions of gallons of sewage to the river! One of the largest sewage spills in US history could have been avoided.”
DC Water Update
On Monday, DC Water stated on its website that “teams and contractors are working around the clock to operate a bypass system that diverts wastewater away from a damaged section of the Potomac Interceptor. … Industrial pumps have been running since late Saturday, but heavy snow and extreme cold continue to create challenges for the equipment and operations.”
As a precaution, DC Water asked Fairfax, Loudoun, and Montgomery County residents to “avoid flushing wipes or disposing of grease down drains, which helps support ongoing emergency operations.”
DC Water also said that the spill does not impact the drinking water supply. The Washington Aqueduct’s main intakes for drinking water are upstream from the break.
Feature image, josephgruber/stock.adobe.com
